We might be out of our scope here, but as we write this in January, the restaurant business in Greenville is experiencing one of its annual slow weeks, so let’s talk fashion. Don’t worry … there is a food element. Or, rather, an intersection of food and fashion.
Karryokah is a new business that offers a stylish, beaded, to-go drink carrier made locally by Meg Fiel. It offers coffee drinkers a unique way to carry their coffees that harkens back to her culture.
Fiel is a Filipina from the San Francisco Bay Area who now lives in Greenville. She has a degree in studio art and graphic design, which gave her a start at Disney World and later social media management. But shortly after she began working full time, she began to feel unfilled. She loves to talk and connect with people, and a career in front of a computer or canvas limits some of that interaction.
Not long after graduation, Fiel moved to the Upstate to take care of her grandparents. The two passed away in 2019 and 2020 but not without leaving their granddaughter with a legacy for artisan crafts and products. She recalled her grandparents both being very handy. For example, her grandmother used to make her and her mother’s clothes. When they passed, she found herself subconsciously looking for an outlet.
“I’m on my computer all the time. I wanted to do something tactile,” she said.
The connection was unintentional at the time. Making Karryokah became a subtle way to honor her grandparents, her culture and herself. It took on several iterations over the last two years. After some trial and error, and a trip to the Philippines, Fiel honed in on the product.
She launched the business and held her first pop-up at Coffee Coffee in August 2025.
The name is a stylized version of her favorite Filipino dessert, carioca, as well as a play on karaoke which is popular in Filipino culture. The undertaking was inspired by a drawing Fiel made for her grandfather 25 years ago.
The business is dedicated to her grandparents.“I want to just be able to tell my story in something that’s unassuming,” she said.
Six Nineteen of 1865 launched its e-commerce platform allowing for national distribution of the Greenville-based pre-mixed cocktail business’s products. It can now be purchased in 43 states and the District of Columbia.
The company launched in 2024 and was founded by Babette Jones. It also has a philanthropic arm, the Six Nineteen Foundation, which benefits education.
The drinks can be purchased at sixnineteen1865.com.
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Downtown seafood restaurant Abyss is now hosting music-themed brunches. The first is Feb. 1 and will be jazz-themed, with live music and deals on oysters. Abyss is located at 1 N. Laurens St. in downtown Greenville.
